Henderson County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 82,150. The county seat is Athens. The county is named in honor of James Pinckney Henderson, the first attorney general of the Republic of Texas, and secretary of state for the republic. He later served as the first governor of Texas. Henderson County was established in 1846, the year after Texas gained statehood. Its first town was Buffalo, laid out in 1847. Henderson County comprises the Athens micropolitan statistical area, which is also included in the Dallas-Fort Worth combined statistical area.
Contents
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 948 sq mi (2,460 km2), of which 75 sq mi (190 km2) (7.9%) are covered by water.
Major highways
U.S. Highway 175
State Highway 19
State Highway 31
State Highway 155
State Highway 198
State Highway 274
State Highway 334
Loop 7
Loop 60
Lakes
Cedar Creek Reservoir
Lake Palestine
Adjacent counties
Kaufman County (north)
Van Zandt County (north)
Smith County (east)
Cherokee County (southeast)
Anderson County (south)
Freestone County (southwest)
Navarro County (west)
Ellis County (northwest)
Communities
Census-designated place
Sunrise Shores
Ghost towns
Centreville
Corinth
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 82,150 and a median age of 45.0 years; 21.0% of residents were under 18 and 22.7% were 65 or older. For every 100 females there were 96.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.9 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 78.5% White, 5.8% Black or African American, 0.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 5.8% from some other race, and 8.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 13.7% of the population. The non-Hispanic white share remained the majority even as the Hispanic or Latino population continued to grow, reflecting nationwide demographic trends over the 2010s.
34.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 65.9% lived in rural areas.
There were 32,748 households in the county, of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 49.4% were married-couple households, 18.6% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present, and 26.1% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 40,643 housing units, of which 19.4% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 74.4% were owner-occupied and 25.6% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.9%.
2000 census
As of the 2000 census, 73,277 people, 28,804 households, and 20,969 families were residing in the county. Its population density was 84 people/mi2 (32 people/km2). The 35,935 housing units averaged 41 units per square mile (16/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 88.50% White, 6.61% African American, 0.54% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 2.75% from other races, and 1.30% from two or more races. About 6.92% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Government
Commissioner Pct. 1: Wendy Spivey
Commissioner Pct. 2: Scott Tuley
Commissioner Pct. 3: Charles "Chuck" McHam
Commissioner Pct. 4: Mark Richardson
Media
Henderson County is part of the Dallas/Fort Worth DMA. Local media outlets are: KDFW-TV, KXAS-TV, WFAA-TV, KTVT-TV, KERA-TV, KTXA-TV, KDFI-TV, KDAF-TV, and KFWD-TV. Other nearby stations that provide coverage for Henderson County come from the Tyler/Longview/Jacksonville market and they include: KLTV, KTRE-TV, KYTX-TV, KFXK-TV, KCEB-TV, and KETK-TV.
Newspaper coverage of the area can be found in the Athens Daily Review, based in Athens; The Monitor is published in Mabank, which is primarily in Kaufman County, but also covers news in parts of Henderson County, as well.
Crime
Paul Knight of the Houston Press said in a 2009 article that some people blamed the development of the artificial Cedar Creek Lake, which opened in 1965, and development of the area surrounding the lake for the initial influx of crime and recreational drugs into the county and the East Texas region. Carroll Dyson, a retired pilot and Henderson County resident interviewed by the Houston Press, said in 2009 that the lake attracted "white flight" from metropolitan areas. Dyson added, "When all your rich people from Dallas and Houston move out here, the thieves are just drawn to them." Ray Nutt, the sheriff of Henderson County, said that the area around the lake has "a lot of good people," yet it was also where "a lot of criminals tend to flow."
Education
School districts include:
Henderson County is in the Trinity Valley Community College district service area.